Why Doesn't Senator Ted Kennedy Believe in Free
Speech?

Michael Cannon of the free market group Citizens for a
Sound Economy reports in a July 24, 1997 NET-NewsTalk Television interview
that Senator Ted Kennedy's U.S. Senate office apparently doesn't believe
in freedom of speech for non-liberals.

In mid-July Senator Kennedy held a press conference to
promote his view that the federal government should expand its programs
providing health care to children, because, Kennedy says, ten million American
children don't have health insurance. Armed with a press release from Citizens
for a Sound Economy citing a U.S. Census report showing the number of uninsured
children is actually closer to 2.8 million, and that many of these children
are already eligible for the federal Medicaid program, Cannon went to the
press conference. Once there, he distributed copies of the release to reporters
-- a common Washington practice. An aide to Senator Kennedy came up, looked
at the release, and immediately took the copies, and swiftly left the room.
Cannon chased him, asking "Don't you think this is a little childish?"
The aide didn't answer, and vanished with all the press releases.

It seems to us that Senator Kennedy shouldn't feel threatened
by the facts. If he's right, and there are 10 million uninsured American
children with no access to federal health care, it should be easy enough
for a man with his staff resources to show it. If he's not, he should withdraw
his legislation, or re-write it to conform with the facts.

And in the meantime, the Senator should tell his staff
not to confiscate materials which do not belong to them simply because they
express views with which Senator Kennedy does not agree.

If you have an opinion on this, send an e-mail to Senator
Kennedy here.